News in the Immigration Law
Amendment of the Act on the Stay of Foreigners in the Czech Republic became effective on 15 August 2017. The amendment brings significant changes (for non-EU foreigners) in all the key areas of immigration to the Czech Republic. Following our seminar News in the Immigration Law, we summed up the most notable changes:
New conditions for payment of visa fees when filing the application
- Since the amendment, you have the obligation to pay the fees with the application already.
- The list of fees can be found on the website of the Ministry of Interior; e.g. for an Employee card application you pay 1500 CZK upfront and 1000 CZK later when picking up the card in the CR.
- The fees can only be paid in revenue stamps “kolky”, which you can buy either at the Immigration office (cash only) or at any post office.
New deadlines for renewal are between 120 – 0 days prior to expiration
- All deadlines were now unified for all kinds of permits.
- The application for renewal can be filed 120 days prior to expiration at the earliest, and on the last day of validity of the permit at the latest.
Employee card; change of employer within 60 days
- Foreigners now have 60 days to file an application for a change of employer if their current employment is terminated.
- If you do not apply, the Employee card will be terminated even though its validity has not expired yet.
Blue card; change of employer within 90 days
- Foreigners now have 3 months to file an application for a change of an employer if their current employment is terminated.
- If you do not apply, the Blue card will be terminated even though its validity has not expired yet.
Change of purpose of stay to business possible only after 5 years
- Foreigners who want to change the purpose of their long-term stay to business have to fulfil a requirement of 5 years of stay in the CR.
New types of residence permits
- Seasonal workers can now obtain either a short-term or long-term visa for the purpose of seasonal work.
- Investors can now apply for a long-term residence for the purpose of investment.
- ICT card, an Intra-Company Employee Transfer, can be issued to employees who are sent to an EU country by their employer.
Non-visa stay of the citizens of Ukraine
- If you are a citizen of Ukraine and you wish to travel to the CR (or the Schengen area in general) you can do so without applying for a visa
- The stay cannot be longer than 90 days during the past 180 days.
- You are not allowed to work during your stay in the CR, all working activities are forbidden with this type of visa.
- The requirement is that your passport must contain your biometric data.
- You will find detailed information about the so-called Schengen visas on the website of the Ministry of Interior.
…and last but not least, news from the Brno Immigration office
There is a new machine for applicants who have set up an appointment at the Immigration office in Komárov. Previously, you had to enter a PIN code to be issued a queue number. Now you will choose the option of „I have an appointment“ and find your name on the list. The machine will issue the queue number and you can take it to the second floor.
